With all apologies to Springsteen, the A-League shuffle officially kicks into high gear this weekend as a flurry of transactions occurred around the league prior to the curtain raisers in Richmond and Bayamon, Puerto Rico tonight. There were trades and contract signings from sea to shining sea as players joined teams from Rochester to Vancouver this week as teams shape their final rosters coming into the beginning of another exciting A-League season.
While a lot of eyes have been on the exploits of Freddy Adu and the increasing number of talented youngsters in Major League Soccer its time for the View to turn its attention to some of the veteran stars and up and comers around the A-League as the 2004 season begins. There will be a lot of significant names showing up on A-League rosters and on the field for most of the teams this year as former MLS players continue to find new homes in the league.
Some of the more interesting old faces in new places include Welton suiting up in Seattle, Alex Pineda-Chacon in Atlanta, Ivan McKinley with Charleston, Richie Williams in Richmond, and Chris Carrieri joining Rochester. The former MLS players are not the only names to recognize in new places, however. One of the first matches of our new season features Toronto taking on the Puerto Rico Islanders. Surely the Islanders will feature a lot of new players that we'll get to know throughout the season but it is the Lynx who have taken on former Atlanta striker John Barry Nusum.
The Bermudan international will be looking to finally blossom into the type of forward that many people have believed he could be with the proper motivation and environment. The Lynx are hoping he finds his groove with them in order to bring Toronto back into contention after a disappointing last couple of seasons. Edgar Bartolomeu also returns to the Lynx this year after spending some time with the Metrostars in MLS. His addition should increase the Lynx chances of becoming an Eastern contender once again.
Meanwhile, the Islanders will feature a team made up mainly of Puerto Rican players and the feeling is they will be using this club in an effort to improve their national team set-up. They also have some Brazilian and Argentine players but the majority of the talent will be new to the eyes of A-League fans. Overall, this match could be an interesting indicator of just where the Islanders may be headed this season. Either way, you can't feel too badly for the Lynx and their pre-season road trip to start the season. After all, the weather should be beautiful with temps in the low 80s to high 70s and slight chance of showers. So why didn't Edmonton try to get this trip in to start their season?
From a pair of teams trying to become contenders to a couple of teams that already consider themselves to be contenders, the defending champion Charleston Battery kick-off their title defense at perennial rival Richmond. The Kickers appear to have upgraded the talent from last season's club and solidified their midfield with the addition of Richie Williams. Losing David Testo to MLS could cause some problems but his loss could be offset by the addition of former Riverhound, Joey Worthen, and former Eagle, Caleb Norkus, depending on where Leigh Cowlishaw elects to play them. Some even think bringing back David Hayes instead of Greg Simmonds could mean more goal production for the Kickers. It may be interesting to keep an eye on rookie, Matthew Delicate, who will be looking to prove himself in substitute's minutes. Overall the team appears to be better on paper than they were last season and depending on the play of the defense could quietly become favorites to win it all this year.
Meanwhile, much has been said about the fact that Charleston will miss seven of the players that played in last season's championship victory over Minnesota. Some of them even managed to leave for other A-League clubs and the big question remains, did the Battery do enough to replace the guys that they lost? It's hard to imagine a champion in any other league being so little a favorite to repeat but the consensus seems to be that the Battery will once again be contenders but they won't have what it takes to win it all again. Ted Chronopoulos, Dusty Hudock, Mark Watson, and Paul Conway return as the engine of a team on a mission to defend its title and Chris Ramsey likely has heard the doubts but somehow confidence springs eternal at the 'Baud and this club and its fans likely expect to be right there when it comes time to determine the 2004 A-League champion.
Through most of the pre-season Chris Ramsey tried a number of different combinations but it appears likely that he'll stick with Steve Klein and Ted Chronopoulos in midfield, Paul Conway up top, Mark Watson in the back, and Hudock in goal. Greg Simmonds, Ivan Mckinley, Michael Green, Henrik Jensen, Kevin Jackson, and Chris Goos may fill out the rest of the lineup. A less than stellar preseason, however, has left many positions up in the air and it is likely that Coach Ramsey will look at changing the lineup at any point within the first few weeks of the season.
Any way you look at it we have a couple of intriguing match-ups to begin the season especially with one in a place I know I wish I could be there in person to see. With the Islanders playing their first match tonight it should be interesting to see what the beginning of this latest chapter in USL soccer history will look like. There's a lot of new players in new places and lots of work still to be done but tonight, this is it, the beginning of the 2004 A-League season. Let the games begin! I'm sure that the view will look even nicer in the islands than it does from here.
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